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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: chest · lean · tube · shower · press · track · fork · kick

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — a box
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — to keep track
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — a song
  13. fork — in a road
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. press — to push
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. shower — to wash
  22. kick — in football
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — rain

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