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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: calf · pit · arm · spring · hide · tube · band · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — in a race
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — a container
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. spring — the season
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. band — a ring
  24. tube — in a tire

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