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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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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 · rush · kid · jam · net · lean · bulb · perch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bulb — for light
  3. date — the fruit
  4. kid — to tease
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. net — in sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. lean — thin
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — to rest against

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