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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: tear · kid · fork · stand · date · bulb · stick · stem

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fork — in a road
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tear — from crying
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stand — to bear
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stand — for spectators

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