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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 120 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: tube · calf · row · wound · mug · key · squash · tear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — a line
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — from crying
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. key — in music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. key — the most important part

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