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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 · perch · wave · kick · pound · bulb · wound · mate

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a friend
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kick — in football
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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