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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bulb — for light
  4. content — happy
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — the amount
  8. snap — to click
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. shower — to wash
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — rain
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mug — a face
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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