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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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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: drill · pitch · field · content · wind · bulb · root · snap

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — the amount
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to click
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. content — happy
  11. wind — moving air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. field — a subject
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. root — of a word

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