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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — a stick
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. bass — the fish
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — low music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cap — a hat
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cap — a lid

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