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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: cell · chest · pop · present · last · lash · tube · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — soda
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pop — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — there
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — to visit
  20. object — a thing
  21. last — finally
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. last — final

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