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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — for sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — for digging
  17. court — of law
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — soda
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — to visit

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