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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: pop · bulb · mouse · straw · pass · fall · spring · bass

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pop — music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — low music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — soda
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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