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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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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: march · race · rest · dip · scale · snap · bulb · lean

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. march — the month
  3. snap — to click
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. race — the arms race
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lean — thin
  15. scale — in music
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to sink
  20. march — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — humankind

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