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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chest — a box
  11. scale — in music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chest — of your body
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. swing — to play on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — for weighing

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