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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: kid · hide · drill · calf · cap · tube · bear · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. drill — a practice
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tube — a container
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — child
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. calf — of the leg
  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