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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. drill — army training
  7. mark — a trace
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mark — a grade
  13. drill — a practice
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spring — of water
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bore — gave birth

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