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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: band · toast · hide · calf · stick · chest · game · tube

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. toast — bread
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. band — a music group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hide — to keep secret

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