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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: present · drill · object · calf · land · cell · shower · mate

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. land — ground
  7. mate — a partner
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mate — a friend
  14. present — there
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. object — a thing
  19. present — a gift
  20. cell — a phone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. object — to protest
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — army training

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