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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tear · arm · shower · scale · hide · bulb · plane · mouse

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. scale — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — size or range

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