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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. key — in music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. key — for a lock
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lean — thin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chest — a box
  17. root — the cause
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. craft — boats
  23. root — of a word
  24. lean — to rest against

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