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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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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: calf · snap · spring · toast · shower · cell · lean · mate

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. shower — rain
  3. spring — the season
  4. toast — bread
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mate — to breed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lean — to bend
  24. calf — of the leg

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