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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bore — to tire
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bore — to drill
  19. scale — in music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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