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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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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 · fall · capital · lash · foot · bore · cue · calf

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fall — the season
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fall — to drop
  9. capital — money
  10. shower — rain
  11. cue — a signal
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — a city
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cue — for pool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cue — a hint

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