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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.

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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: file · calf · pit · bore · band · cap · mine · bark

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bark — to shout
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a music group
  15. pit — in a race
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a ring
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cap — a lid

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