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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. club — for dancing
  2. scale — in music
  3. track — a song
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. club — for golf
  9. cell — in biology
  10. track — to keep track
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — a path
  13. field — a subject
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — farmland
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. club — a group
  23. cell — a phone
  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