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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bore — to drill
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. spring — the season
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — the fish

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