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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: hide · file · sharp · tube · roll · lie · fan · wake

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — a list
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a document
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wake — a trail

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