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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: season · bulb · mine · roll · jam · nail · mug · foot

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — in sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — a measure
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — of the year
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mine — for digging
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — for light

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