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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: calf · shower · coach · fall · cell · lash · spring · safe

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cell — a phone
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spring — a coil
  7. shower — to wash
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — rain
  15. spring — of water
  16. cell — in biology
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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