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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 120 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: bulb · face · shower · scale · rock · content · hand · root

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — a stone
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bulb — for light
  9. root — of a word
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. face — part of the head
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — rain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. face — to point toward

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