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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: hand · rush · cold · suit · chest · root · bulb · object

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — the cause
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — an illness
  6. object — a thing
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. object — an aim
  9. cold — not warm
  10. object — to protest
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. suit — in cards
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hand — help
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — in cards

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