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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spring — a coil
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spring — the season
  24. fork — in a road

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