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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
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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: land · bulb · date · scale · cue · fork · cap · clip

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cap — of ice
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — in music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — a signal
  16. clip — a video
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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