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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · bulb · squash · net · spring · cue

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — in sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cue — for pool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bass — low music

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