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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: bulb · deal · game · pop · bound · perch · mouse · shower

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — tied together
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bound — certain
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — to wash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. perch — the fish
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pop — soda
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — wild animals
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mouse — for a computer

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