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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · arm · date · wind · hand · bulb

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — the fruit
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. hand — help
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — wild animals

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