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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 116 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: fan · tube · hand · row · wake · staff · lash · leaves

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tube — the underground
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. row — a quarrel

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