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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 120 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cue — a hint
  4. perch — the fish
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chest — a box
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — to drill

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