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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: row · bat · rock · chest · calf · tube · pop · drill

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tube — the underground
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — the animal
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. pop — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. drill — the tool
  16. chest — a box
  17. drill — a practice
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — a container
  24. pop — soda

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