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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — a trail
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — of water
  11. pop — soda
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bank — for money
  17. cell — in biology
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pop — music

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