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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 · pitcher · bound · scale · rule · club · bulb · shower

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bound — tied together
  3. scale — in music
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rule — a law
  6. bound — certain
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rule — government
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bound — obliged
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. bulb — for light

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