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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: wind · bass · bat · track · spring · bulb · wound · bowl

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — the season
  3. bass — low music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spring — of water
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. track — to keep track
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a path
  24. bowl — a dish

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