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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: fall · bass · rule · pound · shower · mouse · hand · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — help
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rule — government
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pound — a weight
  24. hand — part of the body

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