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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: shower · saw · vault · bore · hand · bear · calf · racket

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. shower — rain
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. saw — the tool
  17. shower — to wash
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — in cards

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