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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. plane — a tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — in sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — to come from
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a ring
  24. shower — rain

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