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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: shower · lean · mouse · fall · calf · stick · date · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. date — the fruit
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. shower — rain
  14. fall — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — to bend

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