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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — certain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal

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