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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — happy
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — the amount
  6. prune — to trim
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. vault — a safe
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — for baseball

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