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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: bat · land · bulb · date · mark · rash · bore · stem

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. land — ground
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a trace
  22. land — a country
  23. rash — a series
  24. date — the fruit

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