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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. spring — the season
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — help
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spring — of water
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fall — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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