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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · rock · spring · cue · date · root · fine

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. root — of a word
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spring — of water
  15. cold — an illness
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — the season
  19. root — the cause
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bulb — for light
  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