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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · bulb · cold · key · hide · board

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. 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. key — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — the most important part
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — to get on
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — the fish
  17. board — a committee
  18. 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