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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chip — to eat
  8. face — to confront
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fork — in a road
  20. face — to point toward
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. patient — a sick person

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