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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: hand · pass · mark · fall · fork · bulb · saw · game

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. hand — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — a permit
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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