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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — to drill
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — of the year
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bore — to tire
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — in sport

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