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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. spell — magic
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. calf — of the leg

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