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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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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: perch · bear · mine · chest · bore · kid · toast · calf

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kid — to tease
  8. perch — the fish
  9. toast — bread
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kid — child
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bear — the animal

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