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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 · kid · calf · club · clip · object · track · bore

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. object — an aim
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — a group
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for golf
  8. bore — to drill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. track — to keep track
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a path
  19. club — for dancing
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bore — to tire
  22. clip — a video
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. calf — a young animal

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