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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kid — to tease
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bank — of a river
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. drill — army training
  20. bank — for money
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bank — for money

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