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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — a line
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. row — to paddle
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. hide — animal skin

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