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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bulb · press · scale · track · trunk · calf · bear · wind

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — a song
  3. press — to push
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. track — a path
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. press — a publisher
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — in music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — a young animal

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