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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: ball · wake · bear · court · mug · rash · season · bulb

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — in sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mug — a face
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rash — a series
  17. court — of a king
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bear — 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