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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: fine · fan · shower · wave · clip · pitcher · bulb · mug

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — to cut
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a face
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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