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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: date · lie · pop · plane · bulb · bear · press · row

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lie — to recline
  7. press — a publisher
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — newspapers
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. pop — to visit
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — a line
  23. press — to push
  24. pop — soda

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