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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a face
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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