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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 116 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 · spring · hand · rest · shower · pass · game · fall

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — the season
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a match
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. shower — rain
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rest — a break

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