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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 116 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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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: prune · bowl · cue · shower · bulb · ground · season · face

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. face — to confront
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. face — to point toward
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cue — a hint
  22. season — of the year
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — in sport

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