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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: bore · shower · calf · root · trunk · leaves · season · mate

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. root — the cause
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — to wash
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — in sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a plant
  14. shower — rain
  15. mate — to breed
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. root — of a word
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mate — a friend

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