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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: mark · calf · rest · tube · rush · chest · bore · kid

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — to tease
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kid — child
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tube — a container
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bore — to tire
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rest — a break
  24. chest — of your body

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