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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.

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 · bulb · face · racket · plane · leaves · game · clip

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. clip — for paper
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. plane — a tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. clip — to cut
  24. calf — of the leg

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