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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — a country
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. kid — to tease
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — to come down
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — child
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bulb — of a plant

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