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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 120 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: lean · stick · hand · sharp · fan · rule · bulb · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — a law
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rule — government
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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