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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · suit · wave · clip · hand · chair · stick · march

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — a video
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. suit — clothes
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — to cut
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. march — music
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hand — help
  24. suit — in cards

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