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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: hand · can · straw · wake · bulb · spring · pop · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pop — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. can — a tin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spring — the season
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — help
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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