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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: sharp · perch · rash · last · bulb · fall · lean · racket

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. last — finally
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lean — thin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. lean — to bend
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rash — a series
  24. perch — for a bird

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