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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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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: cell · fall · straw · hide · bass · club · calf · rock

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. club — for golf
  10. rock — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bass — the fish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — a stone
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — a group
  23. cell — a phone
  24. hide — to keep secret

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