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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. race — a contest
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — to drop
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rest — a break
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. date — the fruit
  21. race — humankind
  22. bulb — for light
  23. perch — the fish
  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