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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: rash · hand · fall · bore · calf · pitcher · pass · bark

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bore — to tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — to drill
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rash — a series

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