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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: bulb · root · shower · calf · last · leaves · spring · jam

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — of a word
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. last — to go on
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. root — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. spring — the season
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. last — finally
  20. spring — of water
  21. last — final
  22. shower — to wash
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. root — the cause

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