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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.

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: fall · cold · charge · bulb · last · bass · stem · cabinet

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fall — the season
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — low music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — final
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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