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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — a break
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — the underground
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — the fruit
  19. plane — a tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — a container

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