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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: stick · bulb · cabinet · snap · pass · chest · date · fan

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — a box
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. snap — to click
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bulb — for light

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