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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: coach · plane · hand · tube · calf · band · fall · fine

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tube — a container
  3. fine — high quality
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — all right
  8. fall — the season
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a ring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. band — a music group
  24. hand — part of the body

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