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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: leaves · bay · court · spring · straw · track · calf · shower

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — a path
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. court — for sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — a song
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of law
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — a young animal

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