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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 120 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: spell · dip · wind · root · chest · track · bulb · fall

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. track — a song
  5. root — of a word
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — the season
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chest — a box
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spell — magic
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — letters
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. root — the cause
  24. track — a path

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