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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — magic
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — child
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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