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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: mate · calf · tear · bulb · foot · shower · press · chair

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bulb — for light
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — rain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tear — from crying
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. press — to push
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. press — a publisher
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. press — newspapers

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