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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — the season
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — a permit
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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