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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bore — to tire
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bore — to drill
  14. track — a path
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — for light

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