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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. spring — the season
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — a trail
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bass — low music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — of water
  23. staff — employees
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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