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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · saw · calf · tube · tear · leaves · coach · spell

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — from crying
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — the underground
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. spell — a short time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spell — letters
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — to rip
  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