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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: press · rule · mouse · cell · perch · hand · chip · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chip — for betting
  4. tube — a container
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — help
  11. rule — government
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rule — a law
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mouse — for a computer

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