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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rock — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. rock — a stone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. vault — a safe
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — a box
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. date — the fruit

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