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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — a measure
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. last — final
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hand — help

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