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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: season · bulb · scale · jam · mine · deal · wind · shower

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — for digging
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. scale — in music
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — in sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. shower — rain
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — to wash
  24. deal — to handle

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