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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mug — a face
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — a cup
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — to drill
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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