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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · date · calf · wake · land · scale · bowl · shower

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. scale — in music
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — the fruit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. land — a country
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. land — ground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wake — a trail
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  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