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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — the cause
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. perch — the fish
  16. root — of a word
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — a country
  23. root — of a plant
  24. land — ground

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