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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — a tool
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — a permit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mine — for digging

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