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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: bowl · arm · tear · cold · leaves · scale · content · bulb

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — happy
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — size or range
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tear — to rip
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — an illness
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bulb — for light

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