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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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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: pass · wind · bulb · snap · chest · rest · bat · perch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. perch — the fish
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — a box
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bulb — of a plant

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