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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · date · snap · saw · chair · bulb · plane · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bulb — for light
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. date — the fruit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. band — a music group
  22. mine — for digging
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. saw — the 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