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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · land · bowl · pop · bulb · calf · cabinet · stick

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — a country
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — to visit
  22. land — ground
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — moving air

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