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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fork · mine · bound · plane · key · cold · hide

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. cold — not warm
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — an illness
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. key — in music
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fork — to eat with

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