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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — an aim
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. race — humankind
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. object — a thing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. club — a group
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. club — for golf
  19. scale — size or range
  20. spring — the season
  21. object — to protest
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. race — the arms race

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