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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a ring
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a music group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. kick — in football
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mine — for digging
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a rubber band

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