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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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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 · cap · lash · last · wound · bay · racket · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. last — final
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — a container
  15. last — finally
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lash — to lash out

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