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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fall · bear · present · stem · calf · leaves · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. present — there
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — a gift
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — the time now
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — to go away

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