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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: march · firm · plane · bear · tube · row · bulb · snap

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. firm — decided
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. firm — steady
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. march — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. row — a line
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — to paddle
  22. snap — to click
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — a company

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