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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bound — certain
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chest — a box
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — to drill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bound — obliged
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — the season
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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