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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 · ball · track · snap · march · wind · saw · coach

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ball — a great time
  10. snap — to click
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. track — to keep track

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