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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: bore · bat · rash · calf · shower · leaves · wave · ground

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rash — hasty
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. ground — a position
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. ground — crushed
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bat — the 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