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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 124 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: board · tube · bowl · saw · chest · stem · fork · temple

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. board — a committee
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fork — in a road
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — a container
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. stem — to come from
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — to roll

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