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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 · calf · bore · wake · clip · charge · deal · saw

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — electricity
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. charge — in control
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — for paper

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