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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. board — a committee
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wound — an injury
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. board — to get on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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