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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: calf · spring · bore · prune · file · bear · fan · march

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spring — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. file — a line of people
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to tire
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — a coil
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a document
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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