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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — a container
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — a city
  11. file — a tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — money
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ground — crushed

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