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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · dip · shower · bear · wind · spell · hand

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spell — letters
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spell — a short time
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. calf — a young animal

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