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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · bulb · season · pitcher · jam · field · bass · rash

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — for sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. field — farmland
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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