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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: row · tube · kid · season · leaves · ball · lash · hand

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — to paddle
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — a line
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kid — child
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — to tease

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