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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: face · can · coach · tube · net · charge · straw · wound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wound — an injury
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — in control
  8. face — to point toward
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. face — to confront
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — electricity
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. face — part of the head
  24. coach — a trainer

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