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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: bulb · lash · march · straw · stem · craft · cap · shower

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. march — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. craft — boats
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bulb — for light
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stem — to come from
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. craft — a skill
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. lash — to lash out

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