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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: shower · trunk · wave · drill · calf · stem · net · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. stem — to come from
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. net — for catching

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