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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: bass · face · pop · shower · row · file · can · bulb

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pop — music
  9. file — a line of people
  10. can — a tin
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pop — soda
  20. shower — rain
  21. face — to confront
  22. file — a document
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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