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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: fan · shower · rash · season · bulb · pitch · firm · prune

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — of the year

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