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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: bulb · land · ball · temple · rock · bark · cap · plane

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rock — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cap — a lid
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. plane — a tool
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bulb — for light
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — to come down
  18. bark — to shout
  19. land — ground
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. cap — a hat
  24. plane — in geometry

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