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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: ground · perch · bulb · track · date · game · present · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — there
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a match
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. present — a gift
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. present — the time now
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. date — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — a song
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — a position

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