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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: bowl · lie · wound · tube · band · calf · kid · row

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. band — a music group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — a container
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — to tease
  24. calf — a young 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