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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: bat · stand · scale · rash · wound · mine · current · bulb

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — in music
  8. current — of water
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. current — electric
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mine — for digging

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