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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: bulb · scale · bound · ball · bat · mine · mark · cabinet

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — certain
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a trace

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