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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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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 · fall · chest · kid · calf · dip · foot · race

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — a container
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. kid — child
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. fall — the season
  12. race — the arms race
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. chest — a box
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tube — the underground

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