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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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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: row · object · ground · bat · kid · bulb · wake · root

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. root — the cause
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. row — a line
  5. root — of a word
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. object — to protest
  22. root — of a plant
  23. object — a thing
  24. ground — a position

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