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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 · rash · plane · hide · rest · court · kick · bulb

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — for sport
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — a series
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. court — of law
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fall — the season
  15. kick — in football
  16. rest — a break
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. court — of a king
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — hasty

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