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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: calf · spring · root · wound · bore · pitcher · racket · clip

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. root — of a word
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. clip — to cut

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