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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 116 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: kick · fall · calf · file · lean · pound · bulb · wound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — thin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a line of people
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fall — to drop
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. file — a document
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — a weight

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