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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bore — to tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. race — humankind
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — a contest
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — a grade
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — to grow
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spring — of water
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spring — a coil

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