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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — a price
  4. band — a music group
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — the season
  15. charge — in control
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in biology
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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