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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 120 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: bulb · cap · lie · row · scale · leaves · saw · shower

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bulb — for light
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cap — a lid
  9. scale — in music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — rain
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cap — a hat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lie — to recline

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