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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — of the year
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — boats
  12. hand — help
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to click
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — in sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bank — of a river

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