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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: bulb · bat · hand · bay · press · can · scale · spell

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. scale — in music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — help
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — size or range
  17. press — to push
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — letters

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