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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · shower · cold · pound · bank · calf · lie · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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 — the underground
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — for money
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rest — a break
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tube — a container
  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