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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: can · stem · date · last · bass · bulb · ball · hand

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — help
  6. date — the fruit
  7. can — to be able to
  8. last — final
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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