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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 120 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
468
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: track · dip · season · ball · bulb · bay · cell · leaves

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. track — a path
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. dip — to sink
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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