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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: calf · bulb · wake · chair · stick · spring · file · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — to drop

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