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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: bulb · key · pop · rule · spring · plane · roll · hand

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pop — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. hand — help
  12. spring — a coil
  13. key — for a lock
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — soda
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. roll — a list
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — in cards

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