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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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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: content · trunk · cue · bulb · cold · season · bass · face

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bass — low music
  5. content — the amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. content — happy
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. season — of the year
  12. bulb — for light
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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