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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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Word bank
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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: rest · rock · root · wave · tube · bore · capital · calf

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. tube — a container
  3. bore — to drill
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rest — a break
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tube — the underground
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rest — what's left
  11. root — of a word
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a plant
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — music

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