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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. board — to get on
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. scale — in music
  23. fall — the season
  24. board — a committee

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