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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — low music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spell — magic
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. date — the fruit
  24. plane — a tool

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