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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — a cup
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spring — a coil
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a face
  24. temple — a place of worship

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