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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: date · charge · degree · bulb · band · trunk · row · swing

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — a line
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — electricity
  7. swing — in golf
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. charge — in control
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. degree — from a university
  16. swing — to play on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a ring
  23. swing — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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