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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · snap · shower · bulb · march · wind · rush · chair

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — in cards
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — rain
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bulb — for light

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