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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bulb — of a plant

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