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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hand — help
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. saw — the tool

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