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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: mouse · spell · bass · branch · court · cold · bulb · key

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. spell — a short time
  3. branch — a division
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. court — of a king
  9. key — in music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bulb — for light
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bass — low music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — magic
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — for sport

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