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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — low music
  3. bank — for money
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — shares
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spring — of water
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cue — a signal
  24. spring — the season

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