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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: fork · tube · mate · bowl · bass · chest · lie · lash

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bass — low music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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