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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lean — to bend
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — the season
  5. drill — a practice
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lean — thin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mug — a face
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hand — part of the body

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