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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — money
  15. bore — to drill
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. spring — of water
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. capital — a city
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. snap — to click
  24. dip — to dunk

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