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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: cabinet · fine · land · shower · current · stick · row · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — to come down
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — all right
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. land — a country
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — electric
  24. row — a quarrel

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