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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bore — to tire
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. mug — a face
  12. wax — to grow
  13. present — the time now
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. current — happening now
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mug — to rob
  20. current — of water
  21. net — in sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — to drill
  24. current — electric

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