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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: land · lash · plane · fine · date · bulb · temple · cold

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. land — a country
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fine — all right
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. date — the fruit
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. temple — a place of worship

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