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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 · mine · wind · face · plane · chest · bark · dip

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — a box
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to confront
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — of a tree

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