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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: fall · shower · ball · squash · deal · bulb · stem · charge

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. charge — electricity
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. charge — in control
  14. squash — to crush
  15. charge — a price
  16. bulb — for light
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — the sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. shower — to wash
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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