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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: bulb · foot · mine · stand · root · branch · capital · cell

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — a division
  11. cell — a phone
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cell — in biology
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. capital — a city
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — for digging
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — money
  22. root — of a word
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. foot — a measure

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