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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: sharp · temple · kid · straw · bulb · root · capital · track

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. capital — money
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bulb — for light
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. root — of a word
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. kid — child
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — a path
  17. sharp — clever
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. root — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. kid — to tease
  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