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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
468
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: race · bulb · staff · ground · root · hide · patient · rock

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rock — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. race — the arms race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — a position
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — the cause
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. race — humankind
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — of a plant
  18. race — a contest
  19. ground — crushed
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — a stone

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