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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 116 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: scale · field · dip · wave · tear · mate · race · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. race — a contest
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — to breed
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tear — from crying
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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