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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: chair · tube · wind · staff · lash · stock · row · lie

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — to recline
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a line
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — goods
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — moving air

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