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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: nail · calf · hand · degree · last · spring · suit · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — finally
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. suit — to fit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tube — a container
  14. spring — of water
  15. suit — in cards
  16. tube — the underground
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — final
  24. spring — a coil

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