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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: bound · bulb · bat · current · cue · cell · shower · spell

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spell — letters
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — certain
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — tied together
  15. spell — magic
  16. current — electric
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cue — for pool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. current — happening now
  24. shower — rain

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