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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kid — to tease
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. spring — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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