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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · bulb · foot · track · fan · mine · can · perch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — a path
  9. bulb — for light
  10. can — a tin
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — the bottom

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