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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: fan · perch · cell · rash · plane · bulb · pit · hand

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. hand — help
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rash — a series
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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