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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: mine · game · bulb · clip · can · perch · mark · calf

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — to be able to
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mark — a trace
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. perch — the fish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — a tin
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mark — a grade
  24. can — a tin

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