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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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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: date · shower · pop · bulb · lash · clip

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. pop — to visit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. clip — to cut
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pop — soda
  13. clip — a video
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash

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