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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: rest · bass · shower · ruler · hide · staff · bulb · branch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. shower — rain
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rest — a break
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — a division
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — a stick
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — for light

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