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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: ball · file · pop · field · bore · bulb · hand · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — soda
  8. field — a subject
  9. bore — to tire
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hand — in cards
  13. file — a tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a document
  17. pop — music
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — farmland
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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