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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — an illness
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. row — a line

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