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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: calf · bass · kid · plane · cabinet · staff · tube · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kid — to tease
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. plane — a tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — child
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — the underground
  24. staff — employees

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