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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 120 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: game · rush · calf · shower · trunk · bore · staff · net

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. staff — a stick
  11. game — a match
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — rain
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. staff — employees
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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