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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: lean · cap · straw · current · march · shower · safe · bulb

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bulb — for light
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — rain
  6. lean — to bend
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. current — happening now
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. march — music
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cap — a hat
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. current — electric
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — the month
  24. cap — a lid

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