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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: face · wake · chip · wave · pitch · current · lie · tube

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. face — to confront
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. current — happening now
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. tube — a container
  24. chip — for betting

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