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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: spring · plane · pitcher · clip · row · bulb · temple · fall

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. clip — a video
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — for light
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a line

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