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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
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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: scale · coach · roll · craft · bulb · spell · march · ground

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spell — letters
  6. craft — a skill
  7. march — music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ground — the earth
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. scale — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — boats
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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