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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · band · bore · race · present · kid

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. present — there
  3. race — humankind
  4. present — the time now
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. band — a ring
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — to tire
  12. race — a contest
  13. bore — to drill
  14. present — a gift
  15. kid — to tease
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kid — child
  18. band — a rubber band

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