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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: wake · season · pound · bulb · cell · nail · pitcher · snap

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wake — a trail
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. snap — to click
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bulb — for light

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