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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — to tire
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bat — the animal
  19. present — there
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lean — thin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — rain

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