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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: snap · bound · file · shower · stem · mug · court · bulb

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mug — a cup
  3. file — a tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mug — a face
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. file — a document
  14. shower — rain
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. court — for sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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