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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 · tube · bay · spell · race · jam · wound · cue

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — letters
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. spell — magic
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. tube — a container
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cue — a signal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cue — for pool

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