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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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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: wound · saw · shower · race · pass · bulb · trunk · calf

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. shower — rain

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