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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a line
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. scale — in music
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — to drill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — size or range
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. band — a ring
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. kid — child

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