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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bass — low music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the fish
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cap — a hat
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cap — a lid

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