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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 116 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: march · saw · fall · bulb · prune · shower · rash · rock

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fall — the season
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rock — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  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