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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pound — a weight
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. pop — music

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