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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tube — a container
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. key — in music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. drill — army training
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. key — the most important part
  21. squash — the sport
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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