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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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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: toast · cold · fall · craft · bulb · fork · perch · charge

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — in a road
  5. toast — bread
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. charge — a price
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a skill
  15. charge — electricity
  16. craft — boats
  17. charge — in control
  18. fall — the season
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bulb — of a plant

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