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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: perch · bulb · racket · staff · tube · ball · scale · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — a container
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — employees
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. scale — in music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. staff — employees
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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