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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: bulb · squash · trunk · last · present · calf · hand · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. hand — help
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. last — finally

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