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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. kid — child
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — to bear
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. clip — a video
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. object — to protest
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — to cut
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stand — on your feet

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