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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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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: bulb · kick · stand · scale · fall · roll · bear · cold

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. scale — in music
  2. roll — a list
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. scale — size or range
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. roll — a cake
  18. kick — in football
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fall — the season
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bear — the animal
  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