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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
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: trunk · wave · spring · pit · bulb · march · cell · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spring — of water
  23. march — music
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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