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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: cold · mark · coach · bass · bulb · row · cabinet · prune

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cold — not warm
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a line
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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