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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. field — farmland
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spring — of water
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — for sport
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — the season
  24. prune — to trim

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