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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · bulb · cell · calf · bear · present

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. bat — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cell — in biology
  18. 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