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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 · calf · mouse · cold · lean · tube · bat · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. tube — the underground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — to bend
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — thin
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — the 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