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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. land — a country
  17. bulb — for light
  18. leaves — lets stay

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