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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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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: pop · bank · bulb · pass · mine · bat · club · game

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bank — for money
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. club — for golf
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bank — for money
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bat — for baseball

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