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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. spring — of water
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wake — a trail
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bass — the instrument

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