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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: fall · bore · bowl · date · bulb · bass · plane · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. plane — a tool
  9. land — ground
  10. fall — the season
  11. bore — to drill
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. land — a country
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bass — low music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bulb — for light

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