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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tube — a container
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — a group
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — to tire
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — to drill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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