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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: last · court · dip · cabinet · bulb · march · bass · row

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. march — music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. march — the month
  8. last — finally
  9. bass — low music
  10. last — to go on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a line
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of a king
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bulb — for light
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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