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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: board · rash · spell · tube · land · shower · calf · arm

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. board — a committee
  5. shower — to wash
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. land — a country
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rash — hasty
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tube — a container
  24. board — to get on

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