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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: nail · sharp · date · fall · straw · bulb · snap · root

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. root — of a word
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — the cause
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. sharp — clever
  24. date — on the calendar

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