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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. root — the cause
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bore — to drill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mine — for digging

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