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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 120 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: bulb · calf · tear · fork · ground · game · rest · band

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — a break
  4. ground — a position
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — the earth
  14. game — a match
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. band — a ring
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — a kind of play

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