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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: swing · shower · capital · bulb · stem · rest · spell · bass

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. swing — to play on
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rest — a break
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spell — magic
  24. capital — money

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