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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. object — an aim
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — a country
  13. mug — to rob
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — to come down
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. object — a thing
  20. land — ground
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mug — a cup
  23. shower — rain
  24. hand — in cards

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