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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — a box
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — help
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cabinet — ministers

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