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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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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: bound · bulb · lash · last · pop · cap · arm · shower

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bound — certain
  3. last — finally
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bulb — for light
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pop — music
  16. bound — tied together
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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