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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bore — to drill
  4. shower — rain
  5. bound — certain
  6. root — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. net — after costs
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a word
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — tied together
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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