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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: tube · object · tear · shower · snap · prune · march · bulb

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bulb — for light
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — a container
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — the underground
  17. object — a thing
  18. snap — to click
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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