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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 · staff · rash · bulb · track · game · shower · stand

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. track — a path
  4. stand — to bear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — to keep track
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — the fruit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. staff — employees
  24. date — on the calendar

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