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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: bore · bank · tube · spell · face · chest · lash · snap

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. face — to confront
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bank — of a river
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spell — magic
  9. bank — for money
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — a box
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — a container
  23. snap — to click
  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