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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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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: bulb · saw · scale · wave · chest · drill · rush · spell

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — in music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. chest — a box
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spell — letters

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