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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cap — a lid
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. band — a music group
  22. cap — a hat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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