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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — child
  24. chip — to eat

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