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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: hide · lie · bound · bulb · racket · saw · wake · date

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wake — a trail
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lie — to recline
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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