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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. ground — crushed
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rush — hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ground — a position

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