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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — the underground
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — army training
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. land — ground
  24. tube — a container

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