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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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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: stock · hand · nail · bass · perch · cap · bulb · season

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bass — low music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stock — shares
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cap — of ice
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — 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