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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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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. club — for golf
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wax — to grow
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bore — to drill

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