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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: game · bulb · stock · plane · bound · scale · hand · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. fall — to drop
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. game — wild animals
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bulb — for light

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