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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fine — all right
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bound — certain
  11. bulb — for light
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pound — to hit hard

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