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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: last · pitcher · wind · pitch · calf · wave · tube · bank

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — finally
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — completely
  11. last — to go on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tube — a container
  18. bank — for money
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. tube — the underground
  22. last — final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — of the sea

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