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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: roll · club · chair · date · wake · bulb · bass · cap

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — a leader
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. club — for golf
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — low music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. club — a group
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. roll — a list
  19. bass — the fish
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wake — a trail

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