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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: fall · wind · bulb · wave · game · pop · key · perch

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — in music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — wild animals
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wind — to turn a key

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