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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 116 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: wave · season · game · swing · bulb · sharp · spell · wind

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — moving air
  4. swing — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. game — a match
  10. spell — a short time
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spell — magic
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. swing — in golf
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. swing — to play on
  24. season — in sport

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