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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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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: ground · pit · mark · calf · foot · hand · bulb · branch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. ground — a position
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. branch — a division
  21. mark — a trace
  22. foot — a measure
  23. hand — in cards
  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