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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: pitcher · tear · wave · leaves · bass · last · roll · bulb

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. roll — a list

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