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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — a coil
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spring — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. spring — of water
  13. mug — to rob
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bore — to drill
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a line
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mug — a cup
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — after costs

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