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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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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: branch · bound · game · fall · face · mark · tube · lash

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bound — certain
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — to confront
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. game — a match
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — a container
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to point toward
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. face — part of the head

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