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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: key · bulb · root · lash · bowl · pound · court · straw

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — of a king
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. key — in music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. court — of law
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pound — a weight
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bulb — for light
  24. court — for sport

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