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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 · band · shower · firm · prune · fall · tear · bulb

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — steady
  10. tear — from crying
  11. firm — decided
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fall — the season
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. shower — to wash

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