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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 116 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: root · coach · fall · stick · bulb · bay · bass · cold

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — low music
  4. cold — not warm
  5. root — of a word
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. root — the cause
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cold — an illness
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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