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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: lean · swing · wave · bay · season · cold · bulb · pitch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — completely
  12. season — in sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. season — of the year
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. swing — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lean — thin

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