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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 120 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: game · drill · bulb · bass · spell · rule · craft · perch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rule — a law
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the fish
  8. spell — letters
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bass — low music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. spell — magic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rule — government
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. drill — army training
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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