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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: bore · perch · land · craft · race · calf · hand · hide

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hand — help
  3. craft — a skill
  4. land — to come down
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. bore — to drill
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — humankind
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. craft — boats
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bore — to tire
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. race — a contest

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