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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ball — a dance
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — the month

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