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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: foot · stem · pop · ground · shower · bulb · club · last

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bulb — for light
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — rain
  8. stem — to come from
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — a group
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. foot — a measure
  16. club — for golf
  17. last — final
  18. pop — soda
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pop — music
  24. last — finally

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