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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bulb · wax · bass · land · pitch · pop · trunk · drill

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. land — to come down
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — army training
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — soda
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bulb — for light
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — a practice
  18. land — a country
  19. pop — music
  20. land — ground
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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