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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: rush · lean · band · bulb · spell · clip · ruler · root

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. root — of a word
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. root — of a plant
  11. spell — letters
  12. band — a ring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. root — the cause
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. clip — a video
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — to bend
  23. band — a music group
  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