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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: hand · calf · sharp · cold · plane · bulb · bowl · current

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — happening now
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bulb — for light
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — a tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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