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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.

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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: coach · tube · rash · ground · pop · lash · perch · file

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — a container
  15. pop — to visit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. file — a document
  23. tube — the underground
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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