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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: club · rash · stand · root · bound · mine · bulb · squash

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — a group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bound — certain
  15. rash — a series
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stand — for spectators

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