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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 · bowl · mate · charge · leaves · kid · march · root

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — child
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — of a word
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. march — music
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. root — the cause
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a partner
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — lets stay

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