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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: hide · spring · pit · tube · kid · lash · cue · face

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — a container
  11. cue — a signal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. face — to confront
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hide — animal skin

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