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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: bass · tear · lash · bulb · season · craft · branch · mug

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mug — to rob
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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