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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — a gift
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — a container
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — the time now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — a stone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rock — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. mine — for digging

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