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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mug — a cup
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — of water
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mug — to rob

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