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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to click
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — employees
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — for money
  22. prune — to trim
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lash — an eyelash

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