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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: bass · leaves · game · bulb · spring · lie · trunk · cap

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — low music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — the fish
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. spring — the season
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. game — a match
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lie — an untruth

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