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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: drill · date · last · bulb · dip · hide · toast · wound

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — final
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — bread
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. last — finally
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — army training

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