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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: straw · lash · charge · stem · wound · bound · bulb · shower

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. charge — in control
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bound — tied together
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — to come from
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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