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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 120 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: shower · foot · face · bulb · fan · tube · scale · stock

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stock — shares
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — goods
  10. bulb — for light
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. shower — to wash
  15. scale — in music
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. shower — rain
  22. tube — the underground
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fan — to cool the air

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