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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: pit · firm · content · tear · craft · bulb · spring · date

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pit — a hole
  3. firm — decided
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. spring — of water
  9. date — the fruit
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — the season
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — steady
  17. craft — boats
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. firm — a company
  24. tear — from crying

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