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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: mine · cold · drill · arm · bore · bowl · stem · calf

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bore — to drill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. drill — army training
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cold — an illness

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