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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: perch · vault · march · wave · chip · race · bulb · shower

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — to wash
  5. perch — the fish
  6. chip — for betting
  7. march — music
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. march — the month
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — a contest
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — rain
  17. chip — to eat
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. march — the month
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — for a bird

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