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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rash — hasty
  8. spring — the season
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — the season
  13. rash — a series
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bulb — for light

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