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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
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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: calf · ball · spring · present · bore · stand · chest · tube

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — the underground
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. present — a gift
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — there
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. tube — a container
  24. spring — of water

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