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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: wake · race · rock · craft · calf · shower · cabinet · mine

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — humankind
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — music
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — boats
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rock — a stone

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