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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bank — for money
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cabinet — ministers

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