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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
468
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 · fall · court · calf · wound · coach · bear · squash

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. court — for sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — the season
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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