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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: cell · bulb · can · mate · march · shower · mark · rush

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mate — to breed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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