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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: tube · pound · lash · bound · chest · rash · file · lean

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bound — tied together
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bound — obliged
  14. tube — a container
  15. rash — a series
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lean — thin
  19. bound — certain
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chest — a box

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