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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 · fall · ball · bulb · content · board · clip · coach

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. board — a committee
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — the amount
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fall — to drop
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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