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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — a tin
  6. bass — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — ground
  9. lean — thin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bulb — for light
  12. press — a publisher
  13. can — a tin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — the fish
  16. can — to be able to
  17. land — a country
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — to push
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — of a plant

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