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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.

Make a worksheet

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: calf · current · fork · hand · bowl · last · racket · bulb

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. last — to go on
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — happening now
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — help
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. racket — a loud noise

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