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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: wound · pit · saw · bulb · fine · leaves · club · bass

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. club — for golf
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pit — a hole
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — a group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bass — low music
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — for dancing
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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