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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: game · spell · tube · nail · calf · present · rest · spring

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. present — the time now
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. tube — the underground
  16. present — there
  17. rest — a break
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. tube — a container
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. present — a gift

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