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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: bulb · racket · date · toast · pitcher · spring · bass · net

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bass — low music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. net — for catching
  22. date — the fruit
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. toast — the most admired

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