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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · field · tube · face · lash · charge · kick · march

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — in football
  6. march — music
  7. field — farmland
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. charge — a price
  10. tube — a container
  11. charge — in control
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. charge — electricity
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. march — the month
  21. field — a subject
  22. tube — the underground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — with a leg

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