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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: wound · calf · pass · bulb · arm · land · current · chest

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — a country
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — ground
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — a box
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. current — electric
  24. calf — a young animal

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