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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — to push
  4. last — finally
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — newspapers
  10. last — final
  11. bass — low music
  12. last — to go on
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — army training
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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