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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: wound · fall · bulb · scale · bowl · leaves · band · pop

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pop — soda
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a music group
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — the season
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — in music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. scale — size or range

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