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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: court · bulb · tear · bass · bear · rush · stick · spring

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. spring — the season
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bass — the fish
  12. court — of a king
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — 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