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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to bend
  9. land — a country
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — in music
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — a trail
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lean — thin
  24. land — ground

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