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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: bulb · cue · tear · mate · field · date · plane · arm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. plane — a tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. date — the fruit
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. field — for sport
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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