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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: kid · row · pop · fine · bulb · root · scale · pitcher

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pop — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pop — soda

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