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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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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: hand · lie · bowl · trunk · stem · shower · bulb · pop

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pop — to visit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lie — to recline
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pop — soda
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. hand — help
  24. shower — rain

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