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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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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: rash · cap · plane · scale · cold · bulb · swing · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ground — a position
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — in music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — a tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cap — a lid
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. swing — music

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