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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — a song
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — of water
  6. ball — a dance
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. track — a path
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a ring
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a great time
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitch — completely
  24. band — a music group

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