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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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Word bank
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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: cold · date · suit · bulb · lash · march · root · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. march — the month
  7. root — the cause
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cold — an illness
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. root — of a word
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — the fruit
  17. root — of a plant
  18. row — a line
  19. suit — to fit
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bulb — for light
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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