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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 112 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: drill · rash · shower · calf · object · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. object — an aim
  10. drill — the tool
  11. object — to protest
  12. drill — a practice
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. drill — army training
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. object — a thing

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