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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: straw · bulb · plane · rock · wind · pitcher · board · ball

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a dance
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bulb — for light
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wind — moving air
  18. ball — a great time
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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