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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 120 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: cabinet · kick · sharp · tube · mouse · rash · branch · hide

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kick — in football
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. branch — a division
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — clever
  16. tube — a container
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tube — the underground

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