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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. press — to push
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — thin

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