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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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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: net · cue · can · shower · hand · calf · tear · squash

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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 — a young animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. net — for catching
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — after costs
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. net — in sport
  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