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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: prune · lean · tear · bulb · chest · ball · season · bass

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — in sport
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. season — of the year
  5. bass — the fish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. lean — thin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ball — a dance
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bass — low music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. chest — of your body

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