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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · bass · game · bark · date · club · fork · content

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — happy
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. content — the amount
  12. bass — low music
  13. date — the fruit
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. club — for dancing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — videos and posts

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