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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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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: mouse · hand · stick · shower · kid · bulb · face · bat

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. face — to confront
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. shower — rain
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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