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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: wind · foot · jam · cold · tube · temple · calf · bowl

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tube — a container
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tube — the underground
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. jam — in traffic

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