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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · calf · clip · rash · stem · capital · mine · fork

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — to tire
  9. capital — money
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. capital — a city
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rash — a series
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — a young 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