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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: tube · hand · stick · coach · pop · face · sharp · charge

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pop — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — electricity
  7. hand — help
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — in control
  15. tube — the underground
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. charge — a price
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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