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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: field · scale · bulb · last · rash · wake · bear · dip

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. rash — a series
  6. bear — the animal
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. dip — to sink
  11. scale — in music
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wake — a trail
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. field — farmland
  17. bulb — for light
  18. scale — size or range
  19. last — finally
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rash — hasty

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