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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: race · spell · kid · mine · craft · bulb · scale · stick

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. race — the arms race
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. scale — in music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — a contest
  20. scale — size or range
  21. craft — boats
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kid — child

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