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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: bear · wake · wound · spell · scale · tube · craft · bulb

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bulb — for light
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — a container
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — a short time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — magic
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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