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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 · scale · hide · bat · spring · hand · rule · perch

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — help
  4. spring — of water
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bat — the animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — the fish
  12. scale — in music
  13. rule — government
  14. spring — the season
  15. rule — a law
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hide — animal skin

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