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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — in sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. band — a ring
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — of the year
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a music group
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. roll — a list
  24. bulb — for light

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