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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. field — a subject
  10. ground — the earth
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. ground — crushed
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — a position
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. key — for a lock
  24. calf — a young animal

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