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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. toast — bread
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — to keep track
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — ground
  17. track — a path
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — to come down
  21. spring — of water
  22. track — a song
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. land — a country

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