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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: tube · rash · bay · cabinet · wind · bass · kid · calf

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — hasty
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. kid — child
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — a series
  24. kid — to tease

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