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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.

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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: bound · prune · bulb · season · bass · rush · calf · cabinet

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rush — to hurry

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