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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a great time
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — a country
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. hand — help
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — to come down

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