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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: bat · bear · root · bulb · staff · stick · kid · fall

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. staff — employees
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. root — of a plant
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — the cause
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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