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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 · bulb · snap · bound · stem · hand · content · pop

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. snap — to click
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stem — to come from
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — certain
  20. bulb — for light
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — the amount
  24. pop — to visit

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