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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: date · roll · scale · kid · tear · vault · bat · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. roll — a cake
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. roll — a list
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. vault — a safe
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — in music
  24. roll — on a roll

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