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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: rash · pit · bear · shower · roll · swing · tear · calf

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — a cake
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tear — to rip
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rash — a series
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. swing — music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. roll — a list
  24. bear — the 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