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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: mark · tube · pitcher · face · pound · bat · calf · cell

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. cell — in biology
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. face — to confront
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  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