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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: object · fan · land · bulb · fine · band · spell · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. land — to come down
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — high quality
  9. object — a thing
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. fine — all right
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. band — a music group
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. land — ground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. land — a country
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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