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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: foot · date · bat · wind · root · bulb · board · land

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. date — the fruit
  5. land — a country
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — the cause
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. board — a committee
  13. land — to come down
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bulb — for light
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. root — of a word
  23. foot — a measure
  24. root — of a plant

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