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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kick — in football
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. press — to push
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. tear — to rip
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — of the leg

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