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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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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: bulb · stand · staff · land · coach · deal · shower · perch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. land — ground
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. shower — rain
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. land — to come down
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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