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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: root · bulb · cue · snap · bowl · temple · bark · pitcher

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bulb — for light
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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