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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: wave · mark · bound · date · cold · net · bulb · key

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — certain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bound — obliged
  24. net — in sport

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