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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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468
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: bass · pop · chest · bulb · stand · snap · vault · scale

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bass — low music
  13. scale — in music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. snap — to click
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. scale — size or range
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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