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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 · wind · bank · club · tear · spell · plane · bulb

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bank — for money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — of a word
  8. club — for golf
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spell — magic
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. club — a group
  20. root — the cause
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. plane — a tool
  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