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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 120 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 · hand · plane · bay · fall · pass · clip · bound

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bound — tied together
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bound — certain
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. clip — a video
  20. hand — help
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pass — a permit

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