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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: saw · calf · arm · board · shower · cabinet · kid · date

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — to tease
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — child
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — the fruit
  13. board — a committee
  14. saw — the tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. board — to get on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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