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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · fall · spring · fan · cold · staff · rock · bulb

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — child
  6. cold — not warm
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — for light
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bulb — for light

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