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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: spring · rash · bowl · bank · fork · chest · bore · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spring — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — to tire
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chest — a box
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — a series
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fork — in a road

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