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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — for light
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a match
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — employees
  24. safe — a strongbox

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