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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: deal · clip · bowl · tube · rash · lash · chair · row

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — for paper
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. row — a line
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. tube — a container

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