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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. club — for golf
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. club — for dancing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tube — a container
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — a group
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — before a funeral

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