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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rock — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rock — a stone
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. swing — music

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