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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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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: ground · bulb · trunk · cap · kick · pop · calf · cold

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ground — a position
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cold — not warm
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kick — a thrill

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