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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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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: rush · bulb · pitcher · hand · club · wind · root · suit

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — for light
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — a group
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — for golf
  17. suit — clothes
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — of a word
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — in cards

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