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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: mark · bulb · race · fan · bass · trunk · row · land

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mark — a grade
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bass — low music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bass — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — humankind

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