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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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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 · bulb · cell · fall · snap · scale · lean · game

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. scale — in music
  3. fall — the season
  4. cell — a phone
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — a contest
  10. snap — to click
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — humankind
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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