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

Word bank: chest · roll · bay · tube · lash · wave · rule · chip

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. roll — a list
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. tube — a container
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chest — a box
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rule — government
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rule — a law
  24. chest — of your body

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