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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: wake · fine · cabinet · kid · mate · race · bulb · perch

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. bulb — for light
  5. race — humankind
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — to breed
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. race — a contest
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cabinet — ministers

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