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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: current · clip · roll · perch · ground · bulb · court · wake

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — crushed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — a video
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — electric
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — the fish
  15. current — happening now
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — a position
  21. wake — a trail
  22. clip — for paper
  23. court — for sport
  24. clip — to cut

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