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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: land · pop · temple · root · pit · bat · roll · bulb

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. land — a country
  8. root — of a word
  9. pit — a hole
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. land — to come down
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. land — ground
  16. roll — a list
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pop — soda
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. temple — a place of worship

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