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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: file · leaves · game · wind · capital · hide · calf · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. capital — money
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — moving air
  17. file — a document
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. game — wild animals
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wind — to turn a key

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