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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: jam · mark · date · rest · bulb · court · fan · branch

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. court — of a king
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mark — a grade
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — for sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rest — what's left
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — of law
  24. mark — a trace

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