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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 120 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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tube — the underground
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. net — in sport
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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