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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. club — for golf
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. craft — boats
  12. bass — low music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ground — a position

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