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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cap — of ice
  10. scale — in music
  11. current — happening now
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. press — to push
  15. kid — child
  16. cap — a hat
  17. press — newspapers
  18. current — of water
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — electric
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — size or range

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