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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. band — a ring
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stock — goods
  9. bulb — for light
  10. date — the fruit
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a music group
  13. bore — to tire
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. calf — of the leg

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