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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mate — to breed
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a friend
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — a coil
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. perch — the fish
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — in music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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