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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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468
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: leaves · plane · dip · bulb · snap · mark · fall · capital

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fall — the season
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mark — a grade
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — money
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a city
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. plane — a 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