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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. track — to keep track
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — a trail
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. deal — an agreement

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