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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: dip · march · shower · coach · spell · bank · fan · bulb

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. march — music
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. bank — for money
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — rain
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bank — for money
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — of a river
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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