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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: ball · fall · mine · calf · present · dip · shower · leaves

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — the season
  6. present — there
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ball — a dance
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. present — the time now
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. present — a gift
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fall — to drop
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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