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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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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: date · cold · plane · mouse · bulb · mug · nail · fine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — for light
  7. date — the fruit
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — a face
  12. fine — all right
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mug — to rob

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