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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: ground · shower · game · calf · hand · object · rock · wave

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. object — to protest
  7. rock — music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. object — a thing
  16. hand — in cards
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — rain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ground — a position

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