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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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Word bank
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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: craft · calf · tube · ground · stick · rash · fall · hide

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. craft — a skill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rash — a series
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — the underground
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. ground — a position
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — hasty
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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