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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: calf · bore · spring · rock · bat · suit · court · bank

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. suit — clothes
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bat — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of law
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bank — of a river
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — a stone

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