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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. spring — a coil
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bore — to drill
  10. dip — to sink
  11. shower — rain
  12. press — to push
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. spring — the season
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — to wash
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — of water
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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