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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: scale · tube · rash · face · perch · bulb · sharp · net

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. scale — size or range
  5. perch — the fish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — in music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — for catching
  15. face — part of the head
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — clever

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