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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: lash · can · cell · wind · mine · stick · tube · kick

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. tube — a container
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. kick — in football

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