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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: tear · can · chair · scale · bulb · calf · race · ground

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — in music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. scale — size or range
  7. can — a tin
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ground — a position
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. race — a contest
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — humankind

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