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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: track · kick · fan · bulb · chest · scale · prune · straw

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. track — a song
  2. scale — size or range
  3. track — a path
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kick — with a leg
  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