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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pass — a permit
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cold — not warm
  14. kid — child
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — a lid
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cold — an illness
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. temple — side of the head

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