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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: ruler · kid · fine · row · season · tube · temple · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — child
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — of the year
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fine — all right
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kid — to tease

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