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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — a country
  4. fall — the season
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. can — to be able to
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — to come down
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — ground
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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