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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bore — to tire
  11. game — a match
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. branch — a division
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bore — to drill

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