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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — finally
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — a phone
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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