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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 116 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: tube · row · craft · fall · pitcher · file · shower · calf

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — boats
  4. fall — the season
  5. row — a line
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. row — to paddle
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. craft — a skill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. shower — to wash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a document
  24. row — a quarrel

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