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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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Word bank
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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 · bowl · bulb · mate · fan · cold · can · rush

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. 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. bulb — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cold — an illness
  24. 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