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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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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 · fall · track · snap · wind · rest · bay · season

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — to keep track
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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