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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: pop · pound · bulb · band · season · pit · cell · fork

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. band — a ring
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — in sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — of the year
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — soda
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a music group
  23. pit — in a race
  24. band — a rubber band

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