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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: shower · saw · hand · bulb · snap · leaves · bank · cap

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. shower — to wash
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — in cards
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to click
  15. shower — rain
  16. bulb — for light
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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