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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pop — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. date — the fruit
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pop — soda

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