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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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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: craft · tube · wind · fall · chest · calf · nail · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chest — a box
  4. craft — a skill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — boats
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — a container
  23. fall — the season
  24. nail — on a finger

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