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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: kid · temple · hand · tube · shower · calf · drill · hide

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — rain
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — help
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. hand — in cards

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