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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: bulb · kid · game · cell · wave · bass · mouse · bear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. game — a match
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — a phone
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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