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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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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: bore · wake · sharp · mine · row · calf · mark · cue

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to tire
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — to drill
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — a signal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wake — before a funeral

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