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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pound — a weight
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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