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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 120 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
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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: mine · bore · coach · mouse · tear · pound · calf · current

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — electric
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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