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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: firm · root · wind · bulb · rash · cold · shower · coach

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. root — of a plant
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cold — an illness
  13. firm — steady
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. firm — decided
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rash — a series
  23. firm — a company
  24. coach — a trainer

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