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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: fall · swing · land · bound · scale · sharp · key · bulb

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bound — tied together
  11. scale — size or range
  12. key — for a lock
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. key — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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