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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: mine · mouse · lie · bulb · chair · scale · present · wound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — the time now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. scale — in music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mine — for digging
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — an untruth

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