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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: calf · tube · capital · land · track · stick · wind · mug

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. track — to keep track
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — a country
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — to come down
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — ground
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — a city
  18. mug — a cup
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — a song
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. track — a path
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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