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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · bulb · squash · bank · charge · fall · shower · bass

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — a price
  7. bank — for money
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bank — of a river
  12. charge — in control
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — low music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — rain

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