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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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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 · deal · root · wound · club · stick · field · wind

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. field — a subject
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. root — of a plant
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. club — a group
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. root — of a word
  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