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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. plane — a tool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cell — in biology
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fall — to drop

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