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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · trunk · perch · cold · court · scale · spell · coach

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spell — a short time
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — in music
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bulb — for light
  22. court — of a king
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cold — an illness

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