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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. plane — a tool
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — humankind
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — to tease
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — for light
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. calf — a young animal

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