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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 116 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 · tube · tear · wound · chip · safe · kick · mug

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — in football
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — for betting
  24. safe — out of danger

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