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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 120 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: trunk · bass · bulb · fan · prune · season · deal · drill

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bass — low music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — in sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. prune — to trim

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