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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. spring — a coil
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spring — the season
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. net — for catching
  9. tube — the underground
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — for digging
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. net — in sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. sharp — clever
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. net — after costs
  24. spring — of water

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