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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 · toast · rash · wind · wound · season · swing

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. season — in sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. root — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — moving air

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