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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.

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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 · cold · lean · stem · tear · bulb · firm · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. firm — decided
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tear — to rip
  10. firm — a company
  11. tear — from crying
  12. firm — steady
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lean — thin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lean — to bend

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