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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: stand · hand · rash · pitch · temple · root · bulb · cap

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — help
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cap — a lid
  9. root — of a word
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stand — on your feet

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