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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: ground · bulb · press · bark · perch · scale · pitcher · chair

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. scale — in music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chair — a leader
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — to push

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