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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 116 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: face · bulb · perch · ground · wake · scale · patient · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — a trail
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ground — crushed
  8. scale — size or range
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. face — part of the head
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. face — to confront
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — a position
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ground — the earth

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