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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: object · bulb · content · current · rest · fall · roll · scale

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. roll — a cake
  3. current — electric
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — in music
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — for light
  11. object — to protest
  12. roll — a list
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. current — of water
  15. object — an aim
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. object — a thing
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — size or range
  20. current — happening now
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. content — videos and posts

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