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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: wake · bark · object · date · dip · bulb · land · pit

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. object — a thing
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. object — an aim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. object — to protest
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. wake — a trail

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