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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: calf · patient · can · bulb · snap · kid · land · shower

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — rain
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kid — child
  7. snap — to click
  8. bulb — for light
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. shower — to wash
  13. can — a tin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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