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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: bulb · trunk · shower · march · wound · rash · mark · bass

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — music
  9. shower — rain
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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