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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. craft — a skill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a music group
  12. clip — a video
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — to cut
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stock — a soup base

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