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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.

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: plane · mine · bass · lash · cap · temple · bulb · fork

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — for light
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — the fish
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — in a road
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — low music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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