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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. current — of water
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bulb — for light
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. current — happening now
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. current — electric

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