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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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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: pitch · straw · wound · mate · calf · club · tear · shower

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitch — completely
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — a group
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mate — a partner
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. shower — to wash
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — for golf

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