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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mug — a cup
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. craft — boats
  6. bank — for money
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — government
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mug — a face
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rule — a law
  24. mug — to rob

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