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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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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 · cabinet · mine · march · wind · wave · bank · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. club — for golf
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bank — for money
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bank — for money

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