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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · fork · row · bulb · key · chair

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. land — ground
  6. row — a line
  7. land — a country
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bulb — for light
  17. key — for a lock
  18. fork — a garden tool

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