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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: bulb · stick · saw · chest · root · pit · date · file

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. saw — the tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pit — a hole
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. root — of a word
  16. pit — in a race
  17. chest — a box
  18. bulb — for light
  19. root — of a plant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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