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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bulb · root · bass · object · cell · stand · spell · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — to protest
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spell — a short time
  10. object — a thing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. root — of a word
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. root — the cause
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. object — an aim
  24. bulb — of a plant

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