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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: sharp · court · bark · season · bulb · calf · lie · bear

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bark — to shout
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — of law
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — for sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. season — of the year
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. court — of a king

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