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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: hand · spell · calf · fall · bear · shower · face · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — part of the head
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — magic
  18. fall — the season
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fall — to drop

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