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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: bulb · rash · object · staff · root · date · season · march

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — in sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. object — a thing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — the month
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. rash — a series
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. object — an aim

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