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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: root · object · season · mug · shower · bulb · pop · fine

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pop — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mug — to rob
  5. object — to protest
  6. fine — all right
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bulb — for light
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fine — high quality
  11. root — of a word
  12. object — an aim
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pop — soda
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. shower — rain
  19. season — of the year
  20. mug — a face
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — the cause
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. object — a thing

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