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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: shower · mark · saw · bulb · cue · cell · pop · perch

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mark — a trace
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — for pool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — a phone
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — to visit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — in biology
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — music

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