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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: bank · cap · fan · wound · court · bulb · kid · wake

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — for sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kid — child
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — a hat

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