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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: hide · shower · rock · calf · cell · roll · tear · track

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rock — music
  4. track — a song
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tear — to rip
  10. shower — to wash
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. shower — rain
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rock — a stone
  22. roll — a list
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — a path

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