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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: staff · tube · pop · coach · game · hide · lie · rock

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pop — music
  10. game — a match
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. tube — a container
  19. pop — soda
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rock — music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — to visit

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