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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 120 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: tube · shower · lean · face · rash · straw · drill · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. face — part of the head
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lean — thin
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — to confront
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. drill — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. face — to point toward

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