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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — child
  13. net — for catching
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — to tease
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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