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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.

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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: toast · wake · mate · rock · cell · scale · foot · bulb

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. foot — a measure
  2. scale — in music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rock — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mate — a partner
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mate — a friend
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. scale — size or range
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. toast — bread
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cell — a phone
  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