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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. branch — a division
  12. cell — a phone
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bulb — for light
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. land — to come down
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. land — a country
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. bulb — for light
  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