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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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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: kid · tube · mark · rush · band · nail · fan · calf

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rush — hurry
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. kid — to tease
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mark — a trace
  24. kid — child

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