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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cold — not warm
  4. squash — to crush
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — the sport
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. cold — an illness
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bulb — for light

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