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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. present — the time now
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — the season
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — there
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. deal — to handle
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. present — a gift
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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