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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 124 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a line
  12. toast — bread
  13. drill — a practice
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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