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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: ground · bass · chest · saw · bowl · swing · tube · bulb

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chest — a box
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bass — low music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. swing — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ground — a position
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tube — a container
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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