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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.

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: tube · rush · roll · coach · calf · arm · cold · march

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. roll — a list
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. roll — a cake
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — a container
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cold — an illness
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rush — hurry

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