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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bore — to drill
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. race — a contest
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — to tease
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bore — to tire
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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