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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: bulb · bass · mate · cell · squash · dip · spring · chest

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bass — low music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — the season
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. dip — to sink
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cell — a phone
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mate — to breed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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