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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: can · stock · prune · shower · hand · wave · bulb · bank

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bank — for money
  4. can — a tin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — to be able to
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — rain
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — of the sea

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