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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — to wash
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. vault — a safe
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — happening now
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lash — to lash out

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