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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bear — the animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. shower — to wash
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. capital — a city
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — money
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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