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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: spring · hide · wave · branch · cap · bulb · bass · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. branch — a division
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bass — the fish
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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