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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bank — for money
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — army training
  13. mug — a face
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. drill — the tool
  18. 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