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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: hide · rush · ground · bank · shower · straw · wound · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — for money
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — rain
  18. wound — an injury
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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