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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. present — a gift
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rest — a break
  17. present — there
  18. capital — money
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. present — the time now
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a city
  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