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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — a video
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. deal — to handle
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. ground — a position
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hand — help
  24. bulb — of a plant

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