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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: rush · calf · deal · tube · mug · clip · wave · pop

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. tube — a container
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a face
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — music

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