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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.

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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: firm · kick · cell · mark · pound · bulb · board · scale

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. board — a committee
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kick — in football
  7. pound — a weight
  8. cell — a phone
  9. firm — decided
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. scale — in music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — size or range
  24. firm — a company

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