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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. press — newspapers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. roll — a list
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — to bear
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. scale — in music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. press — a publisher
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. press — to push
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rash — a series

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