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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.

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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 · chip · row · hide · rule · snap · fall · leaves

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rule — government
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tube — a container
  14. rule — a law
  15. fall — the season
  16. row — a line
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to click
  21. chip — to eat
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. tube — the underground

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