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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — in sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pop — soda
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — after costs
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. net — for catching
  18. cap — a hat
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. tear — from crying
  23. row — a line
  24. bulb — for light

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