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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: shower · bay · plane · last · arm · bat · calf · staff

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. last — to go on
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. shower — rain
  14. plane — a tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. last — finally
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. staff — employees
  24. shower — to wash

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