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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. scale — in music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cold — an illness
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. object — to protest
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wound — an injury

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