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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.

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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: tube · suit · leaves · wound · season · hand · file · kick

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a document
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tube — the underground
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. season — of the year
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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