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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cold — not warm
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spring — the season
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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