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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: wind · hide · tube · calf · bound · swing · mate · rest

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bound — obliged
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — to play on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — a break
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bound — certain
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tube — a container
  21. swing — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — tied together
  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