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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: cue · bulb · fan · bank · shower · march · cold · snap

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. march — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cue — for pool
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — rain
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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