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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: rush · date · calf · bore · land · spring · rest · ruler

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. land — to come down
  3. bore — to tire
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — ground
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rest — what's left
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. land — a country
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rush — a thrill

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