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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. present — there
  10. club — a group
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. club — for dancing
  14. content — the amount
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for golf
  19. present — the time now
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rash — hasty
  22. present — a gift
  23. rash — a series
  24. row — a line

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