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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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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 · chest · cap · land · chair · pound · pass · bulb

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. land — ground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chest — a box
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — to come down
  16. root — of a word
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — a permit
  23. root — the cause
  24. chair — a leader

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