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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: fall · bear · shower · pop · bulb · ball · snap · coach

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fall — the season
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — soda
  20. bulb — for light
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. shower — rain
  24. ball — a dance

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