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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.

Make a worksheet

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: date · bulb · fork · mine · season · band · kid · bound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a music group
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — to tease
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — tied together
  24. band — a ring

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