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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · cold · root · rest · wave · trunk · cabinet · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cold — not warm
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — of a word
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com