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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: kid · degree · bore · jam · clip · charge · calf · tube

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. bore — to tire
  7. charge — in control
  8. tube — the underground
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. charge — electricity
  21. clip — for paper
  22. tube — a container
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. charge — a price

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