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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · straw · charge · root · bulb · branch · wake · calf

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. branch — a division
  5. bulb — for light
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wake — a trail
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. root — the cause
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. bulb — of a plant

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