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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · mine · safe · cell · key · fan · plane · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — finally
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — in music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. key — for a lock
  24. plane — in geometry

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