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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · fall · bear · bass · calf · tube · content · leaves

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. tube — a container
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bear — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — the amount
  21. fall — the season
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bear — 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