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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: staff · pitcher · calf · shower · dip · tear · scale · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. scale — size or range
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. scale — in music
  15. shower — rain
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — to wash
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to sink

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