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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mine — for digging
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. present — a gift
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. present — the time now
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. present — there
  21. plane — a tool
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — size or range

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