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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: kid · fan · present · straw · calf · perch · tube · key

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — in music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — a container
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — the underground
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. present — the time now
  24. tube — in a tire

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