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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: plane · row · content · stem · bulb · pitch · bound · shower

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bound — obliged
  3. content — happy
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. row — a line
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bound — tied together
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. content — the amount

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