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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 116 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 · drill · lean · bark · bulb · fine · root · content

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — army training
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — to bend
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — a practice
  11. root — the cause
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lean — thin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. root — of a word
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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