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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — the season
  5. sharp — clever
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spring — a coil
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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