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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: scale · perch · mate · bulb · kid · march · pound · root

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. march — music
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. root — the cause
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. scale — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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