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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — the month
  10. band — a ring
  11. march — the month
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — a path
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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