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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · cold · cabinet · calf · fan · chair · chest · wake

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — an illness
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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