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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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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: fall · press · snap · shower · content · plane · bulb · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — the season
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cell — a phone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. press — to push
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. shower — rain
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to click
  24. press — a publisher

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