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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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468
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: tube · band · pitcher · rush · bass · season · calf · kid

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a music group
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. band — a ring
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rush — hurry
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — the underground
  22. season — in sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. calf — of the leg

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