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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 · hide · hand · cold · plane · can · swing · prune

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. can — to be able to
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. swing — music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bulb — for light
  24. swing — in golf

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