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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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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: firm · cue · land · mine · calf · march · bore · mark

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bore — to drill
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. cue — a hint
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — steady
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — a company
  22. march — music
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mark — to pay attention

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