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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 116 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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. clip — a video
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river

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