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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: stick · hide · key · bulb · mine · snap · plane · wound

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bulb — for light
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. snap — to click
  24. plane — a tool

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