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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 120 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: wake · row · plane · chip · bulb · bark · spring · mug

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. plane — a tool
  3. row — to paddle
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. row — a line
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mug — a face
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — the season
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — of water
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. row — a quarrel

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