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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: content · bulb · pitcher · field · bear · can · scale · leaves

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. can — to be able to
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bear — the animal
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — for light

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