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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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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: rock · pound · bulb · tear · race · perch

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. perch — the fish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pound — a weight
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — to move gently

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