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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: mine · wake · bore · plane · bowl · spring · calf · scale

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. scale — in music
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wake — a trail
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. spring — the season

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