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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — help
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — a committee
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — to get on
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bank — of a river
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — the sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. squash — to crush

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