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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: calf · race · shower · snap · stem · deal · wave · coach

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. snap — to click
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. deal — to handle
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. shower — rain
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — to come from

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