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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. firm — decided
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. last — finally
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. firm — a company
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — final
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. firm — steady
  24. bound — tied together

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