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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bass — low music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wind — moving air
  19. board — a committee
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. board — to get on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bulb — of a plant

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