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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.

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: mine · mug · rule · coach · wind · tube · board · lean

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. board — to get on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tube — the underground
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lean — thin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rule — a law
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rule — government
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. mug — a cup

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