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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 120 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: bay · rash · perch · saw · bulb · root · drill · content

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — the amount
  4. perch — the fish
  5. drill — army training
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. content — happy
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — a practice
  19. root — the cause
  20. drill — the tool
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rash — hasty
  24. perch — for a bird

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