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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: saw · bulb · mine · ball · face · swing · bass · drill

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — to point toward
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — in golf
  11. face — to confront
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. swing — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — low music

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