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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: tube · mouse · chair · chip · lash · sharp · fall · row

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — the season
  6. chip — to eat
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. row — a line
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — a container

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