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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
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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: calf · tube · rush · shower · fine · ball · land · jam

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tube — a container
  5. ball — a dance
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. land — to come down
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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