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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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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: tear · content · shower · cue · wound · calf · object · race

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — to wash
  4. content — the amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — a contest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. race — humankind
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. object — to protest
  14. cue — a signal
  15. shower — rain
  16. tear — to rip
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. race — the arms race
  24. content — happy

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