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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: wound · bulb · chest · date · plane · fan · bear · cold

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chest — of your body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chest — of your body

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