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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: fine · spring · tear · content · pop · cabinet · bulb · root

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — a coil
  3. content — the amount
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. content — happy
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. root — of a word
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — from crying
  16. root — the cause
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spring — the season
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fine — all right
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fine — a penalty

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