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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. perch — the fish
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — the time now
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. clip — to cut
  9. present — a gift
  10. capital — money
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. capital — a city
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. present — there
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — the cause
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. root — of a plant

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