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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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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rock — a stone
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to click
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — music
  24. chest — a box

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