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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — rain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. shower — to wash
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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