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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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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. track — a path
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — a list
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — low music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. swing — in golf
  22. track — a song
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bark — to shout

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