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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: shower · foot · bound · pop · date · racket · bulb · lie

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pop — to visit
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. date — on the calendar

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