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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: perch · cell · rush · current · lean · content · bulb · race

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. race — the arms race
  3. rush — hurry
  4. content — the amount
  5. current — of water
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — happening now
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — a phone
  11. current — electric
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. content — happy
  15. lean — thin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. race — humankind
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bulb — for light
  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