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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. game — wild animals
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — for light
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — to come from
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. sharp — clever

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