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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.

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: pound · dip · racket · bulb · bat · bore · spring · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bore — to tire
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pound — a weight
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. spring — of water

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