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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. last — final
  4. net — in sport
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — a tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — to go on
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — a group
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. club — for golf
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of a tree

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