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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 116 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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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: bulb · mouse · fall · saw · cold · bowl · craft · game

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — a match
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — wild animals
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fall — the season

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