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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: lash · track · ball · pitch · spring · bulb · drill · scale

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. track — a song
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ball — a dance
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — the season

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