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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
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 · perch · land · bulb · firm · cell · current · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — electric
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — happening now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. firm — decided
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — a company
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cell — in biology
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. firm — steady
  24. cell — a phone

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