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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · suit · pitcher · root · bulb · bass · straw · board

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — the fish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cold — not warm
  17. board — a committee
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. root — the cause
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — to get on
  24. bulb — for light

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