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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bass — low music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cold — an illness
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. can — a tin
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. can — to be able to
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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