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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: fan · bay · wake · last · pop · mouse · bulb · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pop — soda
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. last — finally
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — the season
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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