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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 116 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: bulb · spring · bat · can · saw · ball · swing · wake

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ball — a great time
  4. can — a tin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. swing — in golf
  15. can — to be able to
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — a trail
  18. spring — a coil
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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