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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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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: bulb · root · kid · clip · foot · track · stand · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — the cause
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — a song
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rule — government
  13. clip — for paper
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. root — of a word
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rule — a law
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. kid — to tease

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