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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — thin
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cell — a phone
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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