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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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468
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: ground · bulb · mine · band · craft · rush · root · racket

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. craft — boats
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — a position
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — of a word
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. craft — a skill

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