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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — soda
  12. bass — low music
  13. board — a committee
  14. bass — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. land — a country
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — to come down
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. land — ground
  24. wax — to grow

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