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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: cold · racket · shower · bear · nail · calf · temple · suit

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. suit — clothes
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bear — the animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cold — not warm
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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