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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: rush · wound · fan · bay · bulb · scale · stem · fine

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fine — all right
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — in music

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